Fire River
Prologue "Run!" Screeched a cream-colored she-cat. "It's too late," gasped a brown tabby tom. The cream-cat's eyes watered. She bent down, sobbing onto the just-alive cat. "Rosewhisper, you know I won't make it..." "Goodbye, Thornstorm." The tom closed his eyes, letting limp. Rosewhisper yowled to the sky. "Rosewhisper," murmured a ginger she-cat, "let's get going. Blackpelt is fine." "Okay, Opaleyes." Reluctantly, Rosewhisper got up. Looking once back at her dead mate, she went along with Opaleyes. Chapter One A brown tabby she-cat opened her eyes, sighing in relief. "It was just a dream," she muttered. A cream she-cat slowly blinked open her eyes. She yawned, "What is it, Jadepaw?" "Nothing." Jadepaw relaxed again, looking outside. The milky dawn light seeped through the den, but she knew there was nothing to do in the morning. The cream she-cat looked outside, "Wanna go out there?" "Quartzpaw, of course not," hissed Jadepaw, her annoyance growing. Quartzpaw sighed and settled back down, and Jadepaw enfolded herself in the warmth of her nest. But she found out she couldn't sleep, and got tired of rolling and twisting around. "Ok, Quatrzpaw, we can go now." Quartzpaw sprang to her paws, and Jadepaw followed slowly. As she blinked sleepy fog out of her eyes, she looked around. "So what should we do?" Quartzpaw shrugged. "Dunno." Jadepaw went over to the nursery, finding kits playing quietly. They caught sight of Jadepaw, and she beckoned them outside. Their mother nodded, and she was almost trampled as five kits came out of the nursery. "Jadepaw! Quartzpaw!" they all squealed. Quartzpaw purred. "Who's going to be the mouse this time?" All but one kit squealed, "not it!" "Valleykit, your the mouse!" Valleykit hissed, well, squealed in annoyance, and ran from the cluster. "Let him get his five-second head start," mewed Jadepaw as they all tried to bundle away. Jadepaw and Quartzpaw counted to five, and the kits ran. They tripped over one another's tails, and the first kit to catch Valleykit was a tall she-kit. "Good job, Stormkit." The black-and-white kit squealed in happiness, and ran over to Quartzpaw. They counted to five, again, but this time, something happened. "Your the only ones awake, I see?" Jadepaw turned at the sound of a voice. Through the foggy morning, she could see a dark-gray pelt. "Ashstar!" Jadepaw yowled. Cats peaked out of their dens, staring at the enemy Clan's leader. There were a lot of cats behind him. Quartzpaw gaped. Their leader jumped out of his den, squaring up to Ashstar. "What are you doing here?" He spat. "We're here to make a deal, Glacierstar," Ashstar meowed coolly. Only when he said Glacierstar did his tone become mad. Glacierstar raised an eyebrow. Ashstar went on, "if you give us the first five fox-lengths of your forest, we will give you half of our warriors, and won't attack you for a moon." He looked Glacierstar square in the eye. "WE WOULD NEVER ACCEPT THAT," spat Glacierstar. "I have cats to reinforce it. RippleClan, attack!" Chapter Two Scrawny cats ran out of the bushes. So that's why he wants rights to the forest, ''thought Jadepaw. A skinnier-than-Swift cat leaped at Jadepaw, and she knocked him away. She pinned him down, and slashed relentlessly at his neck. He crawled away. "Show... mercy," he gurgled, before collapsing down, eyes glazing. Jadepaw had a terrible realization of what she had just done. She didn't have time to dwell on it, though, because a bulky she-cat leaped on top of her. Jadepaw struggled under her weight, but only pummeled weakly at the she-cat's belly. "You murderer," snarled the she-cat. Claws sank into Jadepaw's belly, until a cream pelt knocked over the cat. "Quartzpaw! You saved my tail!" Quartzpaw winked at her and bit down hard on the she-cat. Jadepaw nipped the she-cat, darting to different parts of her body. Just then, the she-cat hit her hard in the head, and Jadepaw could see no more. "Jadepaw! NoO..." ''Words had become distorted as Jadepaw drifted into a dream. Jadepaw realized she was Jadekit again, at her mother's belly. Her mother had run away, after becoming Clan Ruler, so why was she back? "Do you want to hear the story of Swift?" Her gentle voice rumbled. "Yes, mama!" A chorus of squeaks erupted, and Opaleyes started, "Once, there was a very fast, skinny cat. His name was Swift. He would run swiftly, everyday, providing the Early Settlers with a cool breeze, so when it was hot, he could cool them. But one day, Rays got mad, because Swift was blocking out his heat, which caused other cats to die. So one day, they fought, but Nightshine helped them come to an agreement. Only when it was too hot, could Swift give his cooling breeze. If he wasn't, he had to lay still. And that's how the wind came to be." Jadepaw opened her eyes. A cool wind was blowing, and all seemed peaceful. "Jadepaw," sighed a voice, sounding relieved. Jadepaw could make out the figure of Quartzpaw. The cream she-cat had been standing over her. "Quartzpaw! I thought I'd never see you again!" But Quartzpaw did look worried, and Jadepaw looked confused. Quartzpaw seemed to read her gaze as she meowed, "The new Clan Ruler has come." Jadepaw turned to see a white she-cat, her pelt seeming to shine in the afternoon light. "We'll work this out," she promised quietly. Ashstar was standing by her, and Glacierstar was glaring at Ashstar. "Lakeshade, decide already!" cats were mumbling. Lakeshade opened her mouth, "I think, Ashstar, your plan is unfair. They have said no, and you are trying to force this poor Clan into it!" Ashstar bared his teeth, and Jadepaw leaped into Battle Stance, ready to attack if needed. But Lakeshade unsheathed her claws and blocked her with a fluffy tail. "I have made my decision, and if you are to attack me, I can use my powers." Her eyes glowed blue, and blue flames flowed out. Jadepaw almost shrunk back, as Lakeshade looked so powerful. Despite being the new Clan Ruler, she was as powerful as ever. Jadepaw resumed her Battle Stance, as she did not think Ashstar would agree. But to her surprise, "Alright. RippleClan, let's move." There was a coldness to his voice, though, and as they retreated, everycat glimpsed back. Chapter Three Jadepaw padded out of camp with her mentor. It was a new day of training, and she was excited. The gray she-cat padded with Jadepaw, keeping a little ahead of her. "Good morning, Jadepaw," her mentor purred. "Good morning, Willowpool." Willowpool turned and came to a halt. A shocked look crossed her face, and Jadepaw couldn't blame her when she saw the scene. There were two rogues, yowling obnoxiously. They seemed like they wanted to tease their Clan, as they were yowling things like 'we stole your prey! Come and get us, fox-hearts! We'll kill all of you!' Jadepaw looked at Willowpool. "What do we do?" "We'll sneak attack them. They look half-drowned and other half-starved." Jadepaw nodded, and started to follow her mentor. She dropped into a Hunting Stance, and padded quietly after her mentor. They kept cover in the bushes and undergrowth, and eventually came up behind them. "On my word," whispered Willowpool. She nodded suddenly, and the two she-cats shot out. Willowpool leaped onto the bigger one, pummeling his head, claws sheathed. Jadepaw took the smaller one, and ripped her claws steadily through his cheek. "Ow!" he screeched. The tom struggled and tried to escape, but Jadepaw was fast. She blocked his path, and bit into his soft ear. He yowled in pain and scrambled away with the other tom, and Jadepaw worked her claws in the soil with satisfaction. Blood dripped from her claws, and she shook it all away. "Great job, Jadepaw!" Willowpool was beside her, and she didn't have any wounds either. Willowpool looked at Jadepaw. "I want to report to the Clan," she announced. "Let's go back," Jadepaw murmured. They padded back in silence, as though shocked. They entered the camp, and Quartzpaw ran up to her. She looked like she was about to leave with her mentor. "What happened?" "We need to speak with Glacierstar first." Willowpool padded up to his den, Jadepaw closely following. "Glacierstar?" called Willowpool. Glacierstar purred, "Come in." Jadepaw padded in, and was surprised by the coziness. ''So this is what it's like to be leader, ''she thought. Willowpool bounded up to Glacierstar, and sat in front of him. "We encountered rogues on our territory today." Glacierstar looked them both over. "I don't see any wounds, but I do smell blood. Tell me what happened." Willowpool went in depth about what happened, Jadepaw nodding. Glacierstar looked at her with interest, but it all disappeared and dissolved into anger. "I'll tell patrols to keep a lookout," he promised. With that, he dismissed them with a flick of his tail-tip. Chapter Four Jadepaw's paws ached as she went back to camp. She had been on a Long Hunting patrol, where you would hunt for an unusual amount of time. But it was part of every apprentices' assessment, and it was worth it. Jadepaw carried two rabbits, a plump sparrow, and a vole. Cats turned to look at her catches, congratulating her. Quartzpaw ran up to her. "So much!" Jadepaw purred. She dropped it all in the fresh-kill pile, and off she went. She had to go to Willowpool for her next task, but the catch was, she had to scent her out. She sniffed through the jumble of scents, and caught a trace of Willowpool's earthy scent. "Here I come," she muttered. She stalked through the bushes, and saw Willowpool's twitching tail. The gray she-cat was muttering something, but it turned into a pained yowl. Jadepaw leaped forward, and gaped when she saw what was attacking. A massive male fox roared in anger, and it slashed Willowpool's face, cutting open bleeding spots. "GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU VERMIN!" Jadepaw roared. She leaped on top of the badger, and slammed her claws across it's back in fury. Willowpool joined in, recovering quickly. Jadepaw noticed the scratches weren't deep, and would heal within time. The fox looked shocked, as if it hadn't expected this. "I thought a tough fox like you could scent me coming!" teased Jadepaw. He ran away, realizing two cats could easily overpower him. "Thanks for saving my tail there," Willowpool purred. "Naw, you didn't need it," Jadepaw replied. "I'd say you pass your assessment just for that back there," Willowpool puffed. Jadepaw beamed. "I'd want a challenge." Once they were in camp and the assessment was finished, they were talking to Glacierstar yet again. "Your warrior ceremony will be at sundown," he promised. Sundown came, and he called a Clan Meeting. Quartzpaw came and sat beside Jadepaw. He started, "Two apprentices have worked their tails off today to become warriors." He turned his gaze to Jadepaw. "First, Jadepaw, step forward." She stepped up, meeting his gaze. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, honor the Clan Ruler, and protect this Clan, even at the cost of your life?" "I do." "Then, from this moment on, you will be known as Jadewing." "Jadewing! Jadewing!" Quartzpaw got the name Quartzstone. "Good job," Jadepaw muttered. Quartzpaw smiled. "Thank you." Willowpool and Hawkfang came up to the new warriors. Hawkfang, the deputy, was Quartzstone's old mentor. Willowpool nuzzled Jadewing. "I'm so proud of you..." she murmured. "I wish Opaleyes was here to see this," Jadewing sighed. "Oh, she's watching, and she's prouder than ever," Willowpool reassured her. Hawkfang was giving a pep talk to her old apprentice, telling her things like she could become leader and arise to Clan Ruler, then StarClan in honor. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Night had come. Cats were settling down. Jadepaw was yawning , curling up in her nest. When the guard, Strikeclaw yowled, "FIRE RIVER!" Chapter Five "Fire river?" The Clan was a confused mess of screaming and running, and Jadewing just exited the camp. She made sure Quartzstone was behind her, and gasped, "What's a fire river?" Quartzstone shrugged. "I could ask you the same thing." They followed their Clanmates, not going on their normal evacuation route. The Clan Ruler could be seen from a distance, trying to use her powers to stop the flow. The fire river was red, and hot, but liquid. Everywhere it touched, something burnt or caught on fire. "Make it stop!" screeched scared kits. It was flowing from a tall mountain, seeping into the grass and burning it. The land would be scarred for seasons. They finally stopped, watching the fire river flow through the forest. They were safe, far enough away. "I wonder what will happen to camp. If we'll have to make a new one," Quartzstone murmured. Jadewing nodded, at a loss for words. Wouldn't everyone be okay? Maybe some cats were still trapped in their camps. Glacierstar had done a count to make sure everyone was there and safe, and was only missing one. An elder. "Where's Patchfire?" cried his mate, Brindlepatch. "Maybe he's safe," Jadewing tried to reassure her. It was to no avail, though. Brindlepatch kept weeping about her fellow elder, about how he would be dead and charred when they got back. Jadewing tuned her out, listening to the Forest Warnings. They were all taught this as kits, the forest could provide warnings if you would just listen. Nothing seemed peaceful yet. Silence was all that could be heard. Quartzstone sighed. "Do you think we'll have to rebuild?" "Obviously," muttered Jadewing. Normally, she would teasingly reply to her friend. Now, her mood had been turned into sadness and listlessness. Quartzstone huddled closer to her friend, but Jadewing was not appreciative of the extra warmth. "It's too hot," she complained. Quartzstone jumped away. "Oh... I'm sorry." Suddenly, an announcement came over the Clan felines, surprising them. "It's safe to go back now." Lakeshade's voice boomed from the sky. "I've tried to fix up your camps as much as I could, but I don't know what else I can do. You'll have to do a lot of it on your own." They trudged back in silence, not eager at all for the long build ahead of them. The fire river had been quick, at least, and not many had their lives taken. When they got back, Brindlepatch avidly searched the camp for Patchfire. "PATCHFIRE! PATCHFIRE!" she cried. She had been absolutely devastated when she found her mate's charred body lying limp. "I'm sorry," she cried. Jadewing tried to keep back from her, as Brindlepatch had been snappy at everyone. Brindlepatch snarled, "It's all your fault! ALL OF IT!" She's lost in grief, Jadewing tried to tell herself. But sometimes cats got depressed. Jadewing couldn't deny the symptoms. Brindlepatch finally loped into the elder's den, dejected. Quartzstone came up beside Jadewing, spooking her. "QUARTZ!" she cried. "Ha!" the she-cat laughed. Jadewing shoved her friend playfully. She looked at the ruins of what used to be their camp, and suddenly became way more serious. "This is worse than I thought it would be." Quartzstone shrugged, as if it were no big deal. "I mean, this is what you would expect from a fire even the Clan Ruler can't fix up." Jadewing had to admit, her friend was correct. All the grass that used to be the camp floor was burnt to a crisp, and only a few shriveled pieces remained standing. The dens were almost all gone, except for the medicine den, the warriors' den, and the leader's den. The other dens looked a bit patched up, probably because of Lakeshade. "Wow," I breathed. Another voice came in from behind Jadewing. "What's 'wow' about this!? You're on the nursery, young warriors." It was Hawktalon, who seemed to be in a horrible mood. Jadewing really couldn't blame the deputy. The camp had just gotten devastated. "Yes, ma'am," she replied. Quartzstone set off beside Jadewing to the ruins of what was the nursery. It was probably the most badly damaged. Sticks, some burnt, were scattered in a pile around it. Charcoal had been made from some things. Hot ashes surrounded it, and probably wouldn't cool until the night fell. Jadewing sighed. "Well, we're going to have to avoid the ash-" A yowl of pain cut her off. A younger apprentice, Beepaw, who was also working on this den, had stepped on an ash. "It burns!" she cried. The medicine cat, Littlerose, tried to get the ash off her paw, only to burn hers. The ash wouldn't come off. "Get some water and moss," she ordered her apprentice, Shellpaw. Jadewing looked horrified, along with Quartzstone. That apprentice would have to suffer for a little while. The closest lake was a long way off, and it may have even dried up. This would be a long renovation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The cooling night came upon the exhausted cats. Stars started to twinkle in the sky. Jadewing was still on edge, though. She had kept listening to the Forest Warnings as she renovated, and they said everything was over. But Jadewing couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. "Jadewing?" Quartzstone slipped into the nest beside her friend. "I'm not in the mood to talk," Jadewing hissed. "No, this is more serious." This caught the she-cat's attention. "What is it, then?" she asked. Quartzstone started, "The Clan has been rejecting us." This made Jadewing almost jump out of her nest. "What are they saying?" "They say that the legends tell of two cursed cats, the felines of crystals. They must find 'The Golden Ruins', whatever those are, or disappear into nothingness. They think it's us because we're named after crystals." Jadewing scoffed. "What fools are Clan are. There's no such thing as these Golden Ruins, and legends aren't real. They're silly kits tales." She couldn't shake the feeling, again, that something was off, however. Something was very off this time. Something in the universe, calling to the two felines. Jadewing tried her hardest to ignore it. "I'm going back to sleep," hissed Jadewing. "That was a waste of my time." Quartzstone called out desperately to her friend, preventing her from going to blissful sleep. Jadewing, when she couldn't take it anymore, finally snapped her eyes open. "What do you want?" Quartzstone simply replied, "The legends are the truth. If you don't believe them... we'll be separated!" Jadewing scoffed again. "No, we'll remain together. Don't over stress yourself because of this fox-dung. Go to sleep, and worry about it tomorrow." And Jadewing didn't hear from Quartzstone again. Chapter Six Jadewing woke from her slumber, and felt the absence of a warmth beside her. "Quartzstone?" she called softly. There was no answer from the white she-cat. Jadewing got up, confusion swamping over her sleepiness. When Jadewing padded outside, she realized it was barely dawn. Quartzstone sat at the edge of camp, standing. "Quartzstone!" Jadewing cried. Her friend turned around, and purred. "Well, it's time to leave. For me, at least." the she-cat chuckled a bit. Jadewing's eyes widened. "What? Leave? Quartzstone, you must be kidding me. This Clan has treated us great. What reason would you have to go?" Quartzstone sighed. "Jadewing, your innocence to all this is killing me. The Clan is superstitious, believes we're bad luck." "What do you mean? Surely the Clan isn't that foolish." Quartzstone looked a bit offended, but took a deep breath. "They've been treating me like dirt. I don't know if you want to follow me, best friend, but I'll go either way." Before Jadewing could even think, she burst out, "I'd follow you anywhere." Quartzstone smiled. "I knew you'd be faithful, Jadewing." Jadewing thought about the big leap she just took as she headed out. The sun was starting to nose it's way up. It's early milkiness did not hurt any cat's eyes. Jadewing watched Quartzstone, and then turned back. The camp was shrinking so fast, and Jadewing hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye, but that was on her. "Isn't it so nice out here?" Quartzstone sighed. "Yes, it is." Jadewing replied. She liked being away from all the chaos of the camp. She couldn't hear a meow for miles now. As they walked, though, Jadewing caught a peculiar scent. "Quartz, what's that?" Quartzstone was already looking from side to side. "I don't know, Jade." They had rogue names now, Jadewing guessed, because they were, well, loners now. Paw steps could be heard dancing along the grass, and soon enough, a cat appeared. The scent that wafted off them wasn't normal. They smelled sick, or at least a little unwell. "Who are you?" Jadewing hissed as the animal approached. The cat didn't say anything for a while. It let it's mouth hang open, almost unsure of what to say. It finally meowed, "I need help." The words hung around the air in another long silence. Finally Quartzstone responded, "I can give you directions towards where you might find help." "Anything will do." Quartzstone gave the cat directions towards camp, and it set off. "What was that all about?" Quartzstone hissed. "It was sick." Jadewing flicked her tail, and padded on. They walked for hours on end, and finally, they found some sort of shelter. The sun was going down, forcing the she-cats to look away. It was a barn they had arrived at. "Hello?" Quartzstone called inside. A silhouette approached the entrance, and Jadewing couldn't help but hold her breath. She was a warrior, that's what she was used to doing. The feline that appeared didn't look hostile, no, quite the opposite. They purred, a deep rumble, gesturing for the pair to go inside. Quartzstone dipped her head. "Hello, there," the cat purred. Jadewing could now distinguish that it was a tom, and she replied, "Hello. We are newcomers." The tom meowed, "Well, if you're going to be around here, what are your names?" Jadewing was a bit taken aback. "No, we're just passing through. I'm Jadewing, and that is my friend, Quartzstone." Quartzstone smiled, a genuine and friendly smile. The tom cocked his head. "Weird names. Anyway, I'm Scorpio." He was an old tom, so he didn't look as menacing as the name implied. Jadewing couldn't help but snicker a bit. "Is something wrong, young one?" he asked in his wheezing voice. "No... I'm fine." He dipped his head, and decided to give them a tour. "This is my home, the barn. We have a variety of animals here, like horses, cows, sheep, and pigs." Jadewing was addled. She knew what horses and cows were, as she had heard of them, but not sheep or pigs. Quartzstone seemed to read her mind when she asked, "what are sheep and pigs?" She muttered the strange words to herself, tasting them. Feeling them for the first time. Scorpio finally said, "Since as you can see, there is plenty of straw here, you can create your nests from it." Quartzstone tilted her head. "Straw? Is that what this stuff is called?" She nudged the yellow strands scattered across the barn floor. Scorpio nodded. "You two seem weird, no offense, but you don't seem like you've been around a lot. But you don't particularly look like a kittypet either." Jadewing nodded. "We're from the Clans. We're south of here, and our Clan is in the forest." Scorpio smiled. "Well, if you want, you can settle down here for a couple days. Tell me, why did you leave your Clan?" "It's actually kind of simple, or maybe, not too simple." Jadewing meowed. Scorpio replied, "I'm all ears." "The Clan received a prophecy. If you didn't know, the Clans are very faithful in their spirit ancestors, StarClan. They get prophecies from them via dreams all the time, and believe wholeheartedly in them. Then, there was a prophecy about us. There are two crystal cats, most likely us, since our names are Jadewing and Quartzstone, and they must find 'The Golden Ruins' or all Clans will disappear into nothingness." Scorpio perked his ears at the words 'Golden Ruins'. "I know where those are! Legend has it that The Great Felines used to gather there to hold meetings, deciding the future of all cats." Quartzstone's eyes shone. "Woah, that really existed?" "Guess so," Scorpio responded. Jadewing scoffed. "It's an urban legend, Quartz. Don't get too excited." Scorpio continued, "There are still two cats 'round here that claim to have seen the Great Felines meeting up there. Flint and Emerald." Quartzstone dipped her head. "If you would be so kind to tell us where they were, we'd be on our way." Scorpio meowed, "Of course I will. I know you probably want to get back home after you go on your little quest-" Jadewing interrupted, "woah, woah, woah, let me stop you right there. We're not going on a quest. They've pretty much exiled us. We chose to leave, but they were being rude to us because of this prophecy or whatever." Scorpio sighed. "Ah, I see. But I can see it in your eyes. You want to go home. I need to help you young 'uns." "Flint is about ten minutes west of here, and Emerald is about five minutes north." Jadewing meowed, "Thank you for your kindness, sir. We best get going." "Good travels," Scorpio wished. As the two she-cats padded away, Quartzstone seemed ecstatic. You could almost see the energy radiating off her. "So, which cat are going to?" Jadewing asked. "Let's go to Emerald, they're closer." Chapter Seven Jadewing walked down a path, along with Quartzstone. They sniffed the air, hoping to find at least one little trace as to where this 'Emerald' was. "Where do you think she lives? This forest is desolate. I don't see where a cat could make a home here." "And that's where you're wrong." A voice called from behind the two she-cats. They both turned around. It was a midnight black she-cat, in fact, almost green. Her eyes were a blazing green, however, and she looked kind of like Hollytuft, a cat from their Clan. "Are you Emerald?" Jadewing asked. Emerald rolled her eyes. "Of course. Everyone comes to me to know where stuff is. Surprised you don't know what I look like." Jadewing dipped her head. "My apologies. I come from a Clan, CavernClan, in fact. We were indirectly exiled from our Clan because of rumors spread around about us being cursed or whatever." Emerald's eyes widened. "Are you the Crystal Cats?" "Ugh! Seriously?" Jadewing cried. Emerald narrowed her eyes. "You don't believe in prophecies, do you?" "I do, but this one just seems a little ridiculous." Emerald rolled her eyes yet again. "Believe what you will, I guess. Anyway, I assume you're here to hear about the Golden Ruins. They're where the ancient cat leaders used to meet up, to decide the fates of cats or plan out the future for us felines. But one day, Twolegs came and destroyed the place. Now, there just lies remnants of the majestic place it used to be, and it is known as a sacred place for special cats." Quartzstone's eyes shone. "Wow! That's amazing! Do you know where it is?"Category:Hollytuft Category:Jade